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Murtagh
Murtagh, or Murtagh Morzansson, was a male human, the son of Morzan and Selena. He was a fiercely loyal companion, an accomplished swordsman, and the possible love interest of Nasuada. He wielded a hand-and-a-half sword, a yew bow, and a dagger called Drac'ner. He also had a white horn with silver fettings, and a horse named Tornac, after an old mentor of his. History Early life Murtagh explained parts of his past to Eragon and Saphira, but little is known about his early years. As the child of the violent and twisted Dragon Rider Morzan, Murtagh experienced an unpleasant childhood. The long scar on his back bears testament to this; at the age of three, Murtagh received the wound when Morzan threw his sword, Zar'roc, at him in a fit of anger. Even after his father died at the hands of Brom, Murtagh continued to avoid the courts as much as was possible while living in King Galbatorix's castle. His mother, Selena, disappeared early in his life, presumably to secure a better life for her second, unborn child. Selena's second son, Murtagh's younger brother, was revealed later to be Eragon himself. Escape from Urû'baen On his eighteenth birthday, Murtagh was summoned into Galbatorix's presence. The king, in a rare good mood, readily offered his friendship to the son of his former ally, and Murtagh warily accepted it. Later, however, he realized that he had made a mistake in doing so. Galbatorix had fallen into a rage upon learning that rebels had intercepted and destroyed three brigades of Imperial troops. He commanded Murtagh to take a company of soldiers and decimate the village of Cantos, which was known to harbor the rebels. Murtagh refused the order and fled Urû'baen with his faithful teacher, Tornac. Tornac was killed as they escaped the city, and Murtagh continued on alone. To Gil'ead Murtagh became a loner, unwilling to side either with the Empire or the Varden. Hearing tidings of a new Dragon Rider, however, he determined to follow the trail of the Ra'zac in the hopes of meeting up with him. He tracked the vile creatures to a point outside Dras-Leona. By a stroke of fortune, he was able to rescue Eragon and Saphira from the Ra'zac's clutches. Murtagh followed Eragon and Saphira to Gil'ead. Murtagh and Saphira successfully rescued Eragon and an elf named Arya from captivity in Gil'ead, despite the appearance of Durza; Murtagh was able to temporarily disembody the Shade by shooting him between the eyes. Flight to the Varden Murtagh reluctantly agreed to accompany Eragon and Saphira in their search for the Varden, made more urgent because of Arya's desperate condition; she had been poisoned in prison, and the Varden alone had the antidote. The unlikely company crossed the Hadarac without ado, but an encounter with slavers on the desert's edge, and Murtagh's cold-blooded killing of the bandits' leader, Torkenbrand, sparked a clash of wills between Eragon and himself. They reached the Varden, pursued by a band of deadly Kull. Faced with accepting the Varden's hospitality or confronting the Kull on his own, Murtagh stuck by Eragon's side. He refused, however, to allow the Twins to probe his mind, and, after being recognized as the son of Morzan by Ajihad, he was imprisoned within Tronjheim. Later, he was given the chance to prove himself an enemy of the Empire by fighting alongside the Varden during the Battle under Farthen Dûr. He proved himself sufficiently, in Ajihad's eyes, and personally accompanied the Varden leader as the last of the Urgals were rooted out and destroyed. Capture Targeted by the Twins during the aftermath of the battle, Murtagh was ensorcelled and taken back to Urû'baen, where he was punished by Galbatorix for his rebellion. Then, when the red dragon, Thorn, hatched for him, he was forced to swear his allegiance to the Empire in the Ancient Language. His true name was pried from him by Galbatorix, allowing the king to control him regardless of his intent. Murtagh learned dark secrets of magic from Galbatorix, secrets that gave him unspeakable power. He was then dispatched to the Burning Plains, where Imperial forces were massed against those of Surda and the Varden, with orders to capture Eragon and Saphira. During the battle Murtagh killed the Dwarf king Hrothgar. His new skills also allowed him to best the weary Eragon towards the end of this Battle. After defeating him, Murtagh took Eragon's blade, Zar'roc, claiming that the sword was rightfully his. He then revealed, using the Ancient Language so that his words were unarguably believed to be true by Murtagh, that Morzan was Eragon's father, as well; he and Eragon were thus brothers. He decided at the last to spare Eragon, not withstanding the orders given to him by Galbatorix. Real-world connections Speculations *No other character has been the subject of more fan rumors and theories than Murtagh, who has attracted a huge following among female readers (and is a popular subject for writers of fanfiction). *It is presumed that, on coming of age at 16, Murtagh inherited his father's castle and lands north of Urû'baen. This is never addressed in the books, however. The controversial statement The truth of Murtagh's statement - that Morzan is the father of Eragon - is still under debate by fans. It has been theorized that Brom, instead, was Eragon's father. Murtagh and Eragon may only share the same mother, as per a possible clue given in the riddle spoken by Blagden, the raven (P. 546): While two may share two, And one of two is certainly one, One might be two. It has been pointed out that, while one cannot purposefully lie in the Ancient Language, one can say something that is not true. If Murtagh was led to believe that Morzan was Eragon's father, even if it was not true, he could still have made his statement in the Ancient Language. You cannot lie in the ancient language but a lie isn't a lie if you don't know the truth. Another deciphering of the riddle is so: The "two sharing two" is Morzan and Selena share their children, Murtagh and Eragon; the "one of two certainly being one" could describe Eragon, one of two, being his own person, while "One," possibly Morzan or Murtagh "might be two" showing that Murtagh isn't his own person but his father. Role in Book III Most fans believe (and hope) Murtagh will redeem himself in Book III. Some theories say he will save Eragon from Galbatorix while the evil king is torturing him with magic. Others say that Murtagh will find a way to escape Galbatorix's spell and rejoin the Varden. Still others say that he will die trying to break free from the spell, though it's also possible that he will remain evil, although in Eldest it shows that he is not completely evil no matter how strong a grip Galbatorix has over him. The most likely outcome, however, is that he or his dragon shall die, as Eragon's "Deathwatch" dream does not show him. The man on the shore is dragon-less, so he is probably Roran, or Murtagh after Thorn has died. Another possibility is that Murtagh may become a Shade, as Paolini has stated that another Shade might turn up. It doesn't seem likely that Murtagh is all bad because he did free Eragon at the end of their battle. As happens in many Hero's quests, Eragon may be able to redeem his brother. This could be done by slaying Galbatorix. Murtagh and Thorn would then be freed. Possible romance It is hinted in Eragon that Murtagh is fascinated by Nasuada (something that Eragon also guesses), who eventually becomes the leader of the Varden in Eldest. While his betrayal in Eldest seems to destroy all hope of a relationship between them, Nasuada shows regret (in the beginning of the second novel) that Murtagh seems to have died and (later in the same novel) that Murtagh has turned into a traitor. This has led to eager speculation that she may have feelings for him. Powers Less powerful than Eragon? It is widely believed that, after being 'transformed' by the elves as he was, a fully replenished Eragon could have defeated Murtagh in a fair duel. The fact is that Eragon was fighting for hours and hours before Murtagh even took the field. No real evidence is given of any advancement of Murtagh's sword skills, while Eragon is given the heightened physical abilities of an elf. Indeed, Eragon managed to go blade to blade with Murtagh until he literally collapsed with exhaustion. On these grounds, it is probable that Murtagh wouldn't have lasted very long against Eragon at full strength. More powerful than Eragon? Certain fans disagree. Murtagh had been learning black magic of which the elves do not even speak; in addition, he knows his true name. Both these things give him advantages over Eragon. Finally, Murtagh claimed he was more powerful than Morzan ever was. In a sword fight, however, it seems that Eragon's heightened agility, speed and power could help him, as long as he could avoid Murtagh's obvious magical powers. Sorcerery It is believe by some fans that Murtagh is a sorcerer rather then a classic magician, because when Eragon connected to Murtagh's mind it felt as if there were several other minds connected to Murtagh's. Alternatively, this may have been because of Galbatorix's control over Murtagh. Other *Murtagh is portrayed by Garrett Hedlund in the ''Eragon'' movie. Etymology 'Murtagh' is a real Irish name, a variant spelling of 'Murchadh', which means 'sea warrior' in Gaelic. Category:Characters Category:Magic users Category:Humans Category:Dragon Riders Category:Varden Category:Imperials Category:Dark magic users es:Murtagh